Harold Gilligan, 74, was left with three broken ribs, an injured lung and a broken collarbone after his dog Charlie caught the trigger of his gun with his claw.

The incident cut short Gilligan’s hunting trip and landed him in the hospital, where doctors ultimately decided to leave the bullet inside him.

Gilligan, from the US state of New Mexico, told ABC News: “I never thought this would happen. It’s an interesting story: ‘a dog shot a man!’”

He added: “He didn’t mean to do it. He’s a good dog.”